Many dog owners feel guilty that they do not exercise their dog enough, and there are many cases in which dog owners would like to let their dog off the lead. This may, for example, be to exercise the dog by letting it run freely in parks or other large areas, alternatively when the owner cycles or runs with the dog in the woods, or when the owner goes skiing. In many cases, the lead between dog and owner causes dangerous situations, and in particular when dog and owner are in motion. Not all dog owners have access to fenced-in areas where they can let their dog loose, and a walk with the dog on a lead does not provide sufficient exercise. The lead may also cause injuries to the dog's throat or neck. A Norwegian survey shows that of 350 dogs, 75% will struggle with neck problems that result in states of pain without the owner necessarily being aware of this. When dog owners pull hard on the lead, this results in trauma to the neck vertebrae, which leads to pressure on the nerves (source: Jenny Rolness NOAH). A loose dog is a happy dog, and a happy dog gives happy dog owners.
If a dog owner wishes to let his/her dog go free whilst wanting control and hoping to stop the dog from running if it does not obey orders when being exercised, there is known from DE202004011942(U1) an electric dog collar device with a plurality of electrical contacts directed against the dog's throat. There is an electric battery and a chain between the collar and the person walking the dog. The dog walker can trigger electric shocks against the dog's throat via the chain as required in order to control the dog's behaviour. In DE102006010838(A1), a neck band on a dog can be wirelessly remote-controlled by the owner to be tightened/slackened around the dog's neck with the aid of battery power and an electric motor, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,082(A) a fairly similar wireless collar is discussed, which can controllably apply pressure to the dog's neck. These known wireless or wired devices affect the dog's neck with whatever disadvantages/injuries this may inflict upon the dog. On the basis of interviews with many dog owners, electric collars do not work as intended. Electric collars are also illegal in many countries and it is unfortunately easy to misuse this form of control such that the dog becomes an insecure and nervous animal. When a dog's instincts are aroused enough there are no guarantees that the dog will stop when given an electric shock/vibration, and even less that the dog will understand the connection between shocks and undesirable behaviour. Choking the dog's neck is very inhumane, and this is probably one reason such solutions are not on sale in some places.
Other devices that try to restrain the movement of a dog are static harnesses that are described with slightly different designs in the known documents WO9951088(A1), U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,944, US2010242861(A1), GB2480061(A), AU644431(B), U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,264, US2011297105(A1), U.S. Pat. No. 7,963,256(B1) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,534,727. The principle and purpose of all these devices differ essentially from the present invention, as the object is to prevent the dog from pulling on the chain between dog and owner (the person walking the dog), where tension in the chain is transferred to different means connected to the dog's legs.
The object of the present invention is to give dog owners a way of stopping their dog from running or jumping if it is let loose and does not obey verbal command. Although most dogs remain in the vicinity of their owner if they are let loose, there is never 100% certainty they will do so. The aim is also that when the device is passive, the dog can move as freely as it wants without being connected to its owner on a lead, but when activated, it has the purpose of physically preventing the dog's legs from making running movements such that it is impossible for the dog to run or jump.
The device will also work well for training the dog, as there is no doubt as to what the owner wants when the dog moves outside an accepted zone and the device is activated. This means that it is possible to train the animal to stop when the owner wants it to do so. In addition, it is possible to cycle with the dog and not run the risk of being pulled over. The dog can be let loose from its owner in the park so that it is able to have a good run without the owner needing to worry that the dog is going to run away, jump up or disturb others.